Sarah used to love her morning coffee runs. The little café on Fifth Street had the perfect vibe – warm lighting, indie music, people quietly working on laptops or chatting with friends. That was before the arguments started.
Now she watches a man at the corner table livestreaming his daily rant about “sheep who believe everything they’re told.” Across the room, a woman leads an intense Bible study, her voice cutting sharp when anyone dares question a verse. The barista keeps turning up the music, but you can still feel the tension crackling between tables like static electricity.
“It’s like this every day now,” Sarah tells her friend over text. “Everyone’s so angry, so sure they’re right. The barista calls it ‘Dogmageddon’ – and honestly, that’s the perfect word for it.”
When beliefs become battlegrounds
Welcome to the age of Dogmageddon, where certainty has become the most dangerous weapon in our social arsenal. It’s not about what people believe anymore – it’s about how fiercely they defend those beliefs, and how quickly they attack anyone who thinks differently.
- When generosity backfires: a retiree’s nightmare after lending land to a beekeeper and being forced to pay agricultural tax, sparking a bitter debate over whether kindness should come with such a price
- The unbearable righteousness of your virtuous smartphone: how our favorite gadget reveals a society split between comfort addicts and digital ascetics
- A harsh lesson for parents who refuse to say no: when giving children “everything you never had” turns into raising adults who blame you for their failures, entitlement, and lack of resilience
- Europe faces a bitter dilemma as thousands of migrants rescued at sea are secretly flown back to crisis zones ‘for their own good’ – a policy that tears communities and consciences apart
- A vegan mother refuses to cook meat for her children despite their pleas: and why she believes they’ll thank her when they’re older
- Bad news for a retiree who lent land to a beekeeper: he has to pay agricultural tax ‘I’m not making any money from this’
Scroll through any social media platform and you’ll see it everywhere. Religious fundamentalists clash with militant atheists. Conspiracy theorists battle fact-checkers. Alternative medicine advocates go to war with mainstream doctors. Each group absolutely convinced they hold the truth, each group viewing the others as dangerous enemies.
“We’re living in an era where doubt has become a dirty word,” explains Dr. Maria Rodriguez, a social psychologist at Columbia University. “People are so afraid of uncertainty that they’ll cling to any belief system that promises clear answers, even if those answers don’t make sense.”
The scary part? Both religious fanatics and hardcore skeptics often use identical tactics – they dismiss opposing views without consideration, attack the character of their opponents, and create echo chambers that reinforce their existing beliefs.
The anatomy of modern fanaticism
Today’s dogmatic warriors don’t just inhabit traditional religious spaces. They’ve weaponized every corner of human knowledge and experience. Here’s how Dogmageddon manifests across different domains:
| Type of Dogma | Common Battlefield | Warning Signs |
|---|---|---|
| Religious Fundamentalism | School boards, politics, family gatherings | “God’s word is literal truth, no questions allowed” |
| Scientific Absolutism | Online forums, academic spaces | “Science is settled, any disagreement is ignorance” |
| Conspiracy Orthodoxy | Social media, alternative news sites | “Question everything except our version of events” |
| Wellness Extremism | Health communities, lifestyle blogs | “Natural is always better, doctors are corrupt” |
| Political Tribalism | News comment sections, family dinners | “Our side is always right, their side is evil” |
The most troubling aspect of modern Dogmageddon is how it spreads. Social media algorithms feed people increasingly extreme content to keep them engaged. A person curious about alternative medicine gets pulled into anti-vaccine conspiracy theories. Someone questioning mainstream media gets dragged into flat-earth communities.
“It starts with legitimate questions and healthy skepticism,” notes Dr. James Thompson, who studies radicalization patterns. “But the algorithms push people toward more and more extreme content because outrage drives engagement.”
- Legitimate scientific questioning becomes blanket rejection of all expertise
- Healthy spiritual seeking turns into rigid fundamentalism
- Political differences evolve into viewing opponents as subhuman
- Personal health choices become militant lifestyle evangelism
The human cost of absolute certainty
Last month, a family in Oregon made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The parents, deep into conspiracy theories about government surveillance, refused to let their diabetic son receive insulin shots at school. They believed doctors were “poisoning children with chemicals” and that prayer alone could heal him.
On the other side of town, another family was going through their own crisis. The teenage daughter had started questioning some aspects of her family’s strict religious beliefs, wondering if evolution might be compatible with faith. Her parents responded by pulling her from school and cutting off contact with any friends who might “corrupt her thinking.”
Both families were convinced they were protecting their children. Both were causing serious harm instead.
“When people become dogmatically attached to beliefs – any beliefs – they stop seeing the people around them as human,” observes therapist Lisa Chen, who works with families torn apart by extreme ideologies. “They see converts to save or enemies to defeat.”
The casualties of Dogmageddon are mounting:
- Families split by political and religious differences
- Children caught between warring belief systems
- Communities fractured by competing orthodoxies
- Healthcare decisions based on ideology rather than evidence
- Educational institutions paralyzed by competing dogmas
Breaking free from the certainty trap
The antidote to Dogmageddon isn’t abandoning all beliefs or becoming completely relativistic. It’s learning to hold our beliefs more lightly, to stay curious even about things we feel certain about.
Some communities are finding ways to bridge the divide. In Minnesota, a church and a science museum started hosting joint events where religious families and secular families explore questions together – not to convert each other, but to model respectful disagreement for their children.
“We tell people upfront: you’re going to leave with more questions than answers,” says Pastor David Kim, who co-organizes the events. “But maybe that’s exactly what we need right now – more comfort with not knowing everything.”
The most encouraging sign? Young people are starting to reject the all-or-nothing thinking that defines Dogmageddon. They’re creating spaces online and offline where different viewpoints can coexist, where saying “I’m not sure” is seen as wisdom rather than weakness.
As Sarah discovered when she started a “Questions Welcome” coffee meetup at her local café, most people are exhausted by the constant battle between competing certainties. They’re hungry for conversations where doubt is allowed, where changing your mind is seen as growth rather than betrayal.
“We’re all just figuring it out as we go,” she says. “Maybe that’s the most honest thing any of us can admit.”
FAQs
What exactly is Dogmageddon?
Dogmageddon refers to the current social climate where rigid, unquestionable beliefs – religious, political, scientific, or otherwise – are tearing apart communities and relationships.
Is this really worse than previous eras of conflict?
While humans have always had disagreements, social media algorithms and information silos have amplified extreme positions and made moderate voices harder to hear.
How can I avoid getting pulled into dogmatic thinking?
Stay curious, seek out people who disagree with you respectfully, and practice saying “I don’t know” or “I might be wrong” regularly.
What should I do if a family member becomes dogmatically extreme?
Focus on maintaining the relationship rather than changing their mind, set boundaries around harmful behavior, and consider professional help if needed.
Can religious faith and scientific thinking coexist?
Yes, many people successfully integrate religious beliefs with scientific understanding by recognizing that they address different types of questions about existence.
How do I tell the difference between healthy conviction and dangerous dogma?
Healthy conviction allows for questions and growth, while dangerous dogma demands absolute obedience and sees any questioning as betrayal.